[Lake Doric: Sawgill Mushroom Node Too Close to Tree]

6 hours ago, Hashberry.4510 said:

I think this may be where the ‘select next object’ key bind (no default binding, its in the control settings) may work?

That's fair. I was able to pixel perfect click the mushroom, but it was an awful pain to do.

Hoping to bring this to the devs' attention in case they want to incorporate it into a future world polish fix.

[Lake Doric: Sawgill Mushroom Node Too Close to Tree]

Heya! So I've been doing The Moot III: The Energizer collection, which has me farming a bunch of mushroom nodes for Violet Mushrooms. One person suggested Lake Doric as a possible farming spot, which has proved to be quite good for as sparse as mushroom nodes usually are!

However, it was there that I noticed something a bit odd. One of the Sawgill Mushroom Nodes was extremely close to a tree used for something else and, well... here's the result of that.

 

If there's a way to move the node away from the tree, I'd appreciate it! Thank ya!

[Follow up to the June 28 Balance Update Preview]

Just now, Labjax.2465 said:

I don't know if they're still deleting stuff that even vaguely mentions it, but it sounds like what you're missing is that a log of a private discord was leaked, where some players were able to talk to a certain dev and while most of what I saw in it was the dev's thoughts about balance and responses to said players, there were some comments made by said dev that reflects poorly on their ability to do the job impartially. It also just in general confirmed a lot of fears of people who already suspected that balancing was biased and unprofessional. It gets worse too because at least one of the people who had access to that discord indicated after the leaks that their perception was of said dev mostly ignoring the feedback provided to them, even in this private discord, and thereby ignoring important issues with various classes that were brought up.

I would need to look at the leak myself. If this is true, that is absolutely something that should be brought up constantly until it is adequately addressed.

I would still say that calling for firings are unacceptable, especially as constantly bringing up such damning evidence could lead to that result on its own. But again, if it's true, then I'd be able to understand why people are as upset as they are. Again, I'd need the full picture.

[Follow up to the June 28 Balance Update Preview]

7 minutes ago, Ashen.2907 said:

Agree to disagree. I dont think that a customer expressing a preference is a bad thing. Of course the company can choose to ignore that expressed preference if it does not suit their own preferences. I don't normally consider, "your employee x has damaged the product/service for me, has insulted the customer base, has stated that he looks forward to the damage causing distress for customers, and has admitted that he alters the product to suit himself regardless of potential negative impact on company and customers, so he should probably not be working for you," to be a personal attack in the sense that the term is normally used.

I operate a business. If my customers observed one of my subordinates actively trying, and admitting to it, to make my customers unhappy, I would not call them toxic, for suggesting that my business might be better off without him. I would discuss the matter with the employee and try to figure the situation out in a reasonable matter rather than fire them on the spot, but that would not make mh customer's suggestion, nothing more than a suggestion, invalid.

The main reason I disagree, I guess, boils down to perception of the situation.

My perception of the situation (which I fully acknowledge does not contain all of the facts, nor does anyone's, but mine is probably more barren of facts than yours) is that these balance changes were announced, people got upset and called for firings. Systems that the playerbase do not quite understand (because they have not been clearly explained to us) somehow prevented the balance changes from grinding to a halt before they were released. They came out, which compounded the anger. The anger was felt by the dev team, the dev posting this responded, said that the toxic attitudes resulting from said anger were not welcome, and people took that as an unprofessional and personal attack.

I still believe that calling for firings aren't okay whatsoever.

You seem to be talking to me like an adult and I do acknowledge and appreciate that, so I want to pose the question: What information am I missing? Where is my perception of events not matching up with yours?

[Follow up to the June 28 Balance Update Preview]

1 minute ago, Latency.3907 said:

Having been with this franchise since 2005 with original release of guild wars 1, there have been solid and not so solid balance periods in both guild wars games.

 

Given the circumstances and big public perception issues with justification and process that profession balance is being implemented. Arenanet needs to more to make the Profession Balance Design Process more Transparent.

 

Ultimately, there is a big trust issue at the moment between a large swath of the most dedicated player base and "guild wars 2 developers" in general. I would hope the the METHOD that Arenanet uses to arrive at details of balance for profession balance involves MULTIPLE individuals for impartial vetting. The current state of profession balance projects an environment of favoritism of specifics professions and builds.

 

Josh, your studio's action to qualify the current details and numbers used in the balance is important but as is the process which final numbers are vetted and determined. Player needs to understand "WHAT DOES ANET DO TO BALANCE?" Ultimately, big picture is important and anet is moving in right direction, but the DETAILED numbers in each skill and traits NEED to be compatible with the bigger picture.

 

Currently, there is a big problem with perception whether true or not, that the final balance numbers and changes are not being done FAIRLY and it will be a long time before any changes come to correct them. An acknowledgement of current mistakes on this balance patch would go a long way.

 

 

Apologies for quoting you as I have nothing to add. I just wanted to say that this is a solid example of what I'd see as constructive criticism.

Thumbs up!

[Follow up to the June 28 Balance Update Preview]

14 minutes ago, Ashen.2907 said:

 

 

First of all the employee began the public disparagement of customers before the patch notes. Before the customer reaction to those notes. As I have said previously I dont really have an issue with that as I dont think you can have good open communication without rough edges.

I mean, you absolutely can. Will there be friction, yes. But that's easy to overcome if everyone can be a mature adult about it. But honestly, the only side of this argument I've seen that hasn't been acting like an adult are the ones openly on the attack in 20-something pages of a thread started by the employee trying to address mistakes made in the best way they can and try to explain why an immediate 180 isn't feasible.

Quote

What I am saying is that suggesting that someone be fired after they have done a poor job, and have admitted to being inadequately knowledgeable, and have made statements to support theories that balance devs make changes based on supporting their preferred class/build/playstyle is not inappropriate. I would not make that suggestion, but others are not out of line for doing so.

I think any calls for firings over this is wildly inappropriate, but apparently we're just going to have to agree to disagree on that.

If there is favoritism speculation, like... yeah, people are going to call that out. I get that. And that's fine to call out. Just... maybe leave it at the "calling it out" part and eschew the "and they should be fired for it" part. But again. Agree to disagree, I guess.

Quote

I have not seen anyone indicate that the decision does not lie with the company. The fact that the company has that authority does not mean that others cant or shouldnt ask them to exercise it. After all, decisions regarding balance are made by the company, and yet you suggest that we make suggestions anyway. Do we make suggestions when the final decision is not ours or not?

I'm not arguing that anyone indicated that and, again, agreeing to disagree on calling for the firing of an individual over a balance patch. I think it's flagrantly childish and overly emotional, but clearly you and a lot of others think it's a rational and sound thing to do. Like cutting off a limb succumbed to disease so it doesn't spread or something.

My mind on this is, ultimately, "Say what you mean to say, point out what, exactly, is upsetting you, and approach it from a standpoint that you want the game to be better and that is more important than putting blame on any one person."

If someone is engineering balance due to favoritism, point out the imbalance. Be loud about it. Insanely so. But never. *NEVER*. Get personal. Because that guy you believe is playing favorites? They work with other members of the development team. Probably get along well with them. And the instant you get into personal attacks, that's when all your valid criticisms start to fall on unsympathetic ears.

[Follow up to the June 28 Balance Update Preview]

19 minutes ago, Ashen.2907 said:

Of course the decision to reprimand an employee lies with their employer...which does not make such a suggestion inappropriate for one of the employer's customers. The owner of a local restaurant where a waiter made a disparaging comment about my race has every right to choose to not act upon my suggestion that he fire the waiter. That does not make my suggestion inappropriate.

And yes, throwing around suggestions for reprimand, etc is our call. Only the decision to act upon, or not, those suggestions is not our call.

The sort of feedback you suggest should be given has been. Repeatedly. 

That's a false equivalency from what I'm seeing here.

What I'm seeing, from my perspective, The balance updates were announced, happened, people got upset, attacked the developers personally, this post came out with someone saying people talking that way aren't welcome here, and now that's the focus of the conversation.

It's not an employee making a comment about a customer's race, it's a customer making a comment about an employee's race, then the manager coming out and asking them to leave. Then a group of customers getting upset about one being asked to leave and trying to get the manager fired.

If I am at all mistaken in what the problem is about, please tell me because I hope I'm wrong. Because I haven't had time to scan the 20-odd pages of back and forth banter.

[Follow up to the June 28 Balance Update Preview]

4 minutes ago, Seremela the Elf Mage.1748 said:

I think you've been left behind in the conversation at some point. This has moved beyond being an issue of "bad/questionable balance decisions" and become more focused on reprimanding an employee for behaving in an unprofessional matter and the company trying to gag any proof of their wrongdoing/mishandling the situation

Ahhh, okay. So the issue is that the game director got upset and let the corporate mask slip because he took the attacks lobbed against him and his team too personally. Is that what's going on? Or was there another member acting unprofessionally?

Because to me, it sounds like folks found a weakness in someone's armor and are attacking that weak point in retaliation for a lot of misplaced anger. Which is just petty "ends justify the means" logic.

[Follow up to the June 28 Balance Update Preview]

 

1 minute ago, Seremela the Elf Mage.1748 said:

There's a large amount of hyperbole here coming from someone condemning an opposing view point for engaging in what the poster perceives as too much "hyperbolizing and doomsaying"...

If you want, I can point you to many a twitter and reddit post, or the first page of this very thread for examples.

[Follow up to the June 28 Balance Update Preview]

1 minute ago, Ashen.2907 said:

(Allegedly) making death threats is inappropriate. Suggesting that someone lose their job for demonstrating incompetence or failing to perform at a satisfactory level is not. Personally I do not think that the dev most pointed to as deserving to lose his job merits that severe of a corrective action, but I do think that his superiors should be doing their job better if he has not been sufficiently trained (as seems to be the case) to do his. 

I mean, that's not really anyone's call to make other than that person's boss, right?

It's not helpful feedback from the playerbase. We don't know that person's workflow. We don't know if it was one person or a team of people. Or if all parties involved were working on the balance patch while also multitasking with working on balancing the next Challenge Mode, and maybe some wires got crossed. Or that maybe no one on the balance team plays a warrior main so they're not as "passionate".

The feedback we, as players, should be giving, is "We don't like how this works. This is why we don't like how this works." And, if you want, add in a "We want it to work like this."

Throwing around disciplinary action, as lenient as a reprimand or as severe as a firing, is not your job or your call. And it's frankly a gross overreaction from an echo chamber of toxic attitudes.

[Follow up to the June 28 Balance Update Preview]

@Josh Davis.7865

 

This balance patch gave me sun poisoning irl. /s

But for real, people are really treating a single balance patch as far worse than anything Activision Blizzard has ever done. It's actually kind of amazing how far the hyperbole has actually gone with this. I'm genuinely shocked we haven't started accusing the patch of causing climate change all over the world of GW2 at this point.

[Certain Salvageable Trophies Unable To Be Salvaged]

Hi there! I want to start by thanking you all for such a fantastic expansion! I have greatly enjoyed exploring the new zones and getting to know what Cantha's been up to these past 250 years!

 

However, I want to look to the past for a second. There are trophies from Aurora: Awakening and its sub-achievements that I have been unable to salvage since acquiring them after End of Dragons launched. These include, specifically, "Friend of Golems", "Enemy of the Inquest", "Scouting Party Supporter", and "Lake Doric Hero". As I recall (and is in the descriptions of the first three trophies, at least), I should be able to salvage these items for Unbound Magic, but right now, whenever I attempt to do so, while it will show a confirmation box to warn that I am salvaging a very valuable item, upon hitting "Yes", the item is not consumed and the Unbound Magic is not added to my wallet.

Thank you once again for the work you're doing! I greatly appreciate it and I'm sure many others do as well!

[Vasburg Armory Mini-Dungeon Locked - Lukas is Friendly [Merged]]

Heya! So someone told me how to get to the Vasburg Armory PoI (turns out it's a mini-dungeon! Very cool!)

In order to access the mini-dungeon, I must attack Lukas Vasburg at the entrance until he's at 50% HP, then he'll let us in. Sadly, he's marked as friendly and will not let us target him, and the mini-dungeon is locked, so no one defeated him before I got there. Not entirely sure what to do here. =(

[Thank You ArenaNet for End of Dragons <3]

I wanted to step in here to say my piece too.

 

I may be seeing a bunch of random bugs here and there, and I will report every single one I find. But I do want to stress that, bugs aside, the team did an unbelievable job with EoD. Like... virtually seamless launch, the music, the character writing, the sheer scale and color of every zone I've been in so far... I absolutely love what I have seen so far.

[11. In the Name of the Law timegate bug [Merged]]

Adding my name to the list of people in line.

[How does Research Kit work?]

I attempted to craft some Orichalcum Earrings and a Krait Greatsword explicitly to use the Research Kit on. Sadly, even though the kit will give the "You are about to salvage a valuable item" prompt, neither option on the dialogue box (tried both in case it was a matter of the options being reversed) cause the Research Kit to work.

[BLTC totally unusable]

Heya! I've been having a lot of these issues this morning. I placed a Buy Order for a Grow Lamp which resulted in an error and didn't take my gold, so I was like "Okay, that's fine. It probably just didn't work."

 

It wasn't until I stepped away from the Trading Post and started buying some Thermocatalytic reagents that I noticed, at that moment, the gold had been taken from my wallet. It almost makes me wonder what would have happened if I had bought more Thermocatalytic Reagents. Would my gold value gone into the negatives? Would it have crashed the server for not being able to handle that? Would I have just walked away with a bunch of "free" Thermocatalytic Reagents as my gold reverted to 0 to avoid negatives? Logged out for an hour or so after that, expecting to wait until the Trading Post got patched up.

 

I logged in just now and thank goodness my buy order was generated, though. That was a pretty big scare, I'm not gonna lie!

[floating combat text is blocking vision]

That seems so much bigger than it is on my screen... is resolution a factor?

[Legendary Weapon Cosmetic Aura]

That brings up an interesting thought, what if there were "Legendary Infusions" that mimicked the appearance of legendary weapon effects? Something that would require you to, say... salvage a Legendary Weapon to get? That would preserve its rarity and yield a really cool fashion item!

[mastery points should be available in the gemstore]

Strong Disagree.

[[Poll] Should there be a Graphics update?]

Do I think the game needs a graphics update? Maybe a little bit. Even on max settings, I can still see a bit of pixelation on the models...

...but I think the top priority is upgrading GW2 from DX9 to DX12, or even DX11. The game is getting harder and harder to run on DX9, I feel, and eventually something is going to break.

[Char selection screen]

Fully support this suggestion!

[Home Instance Boost]

I definitely think home instances could use more love beyond harvesting nodes, personally. I would love the ability to earnTrophy furnishings. Even if they're purely cosmetic and they have to be placed in a static position in the home instance to conserve data, would be super cool! Or a jukebox furnishing that changes the music in your home instance based on collectable achievements? Gathering Nodes are super nice, don't get me wrong, but at the same time, I'd love to have other things too, like a "Spiritual Armor Rack" with Justicar Habilon's Armor on it, which could be earned by beating Ghostly Justicar Habilon as a rare drop, or Drakkar's head mounted up on a wall somewhere.

As for the harvesting nodes being "not worth it", I like them for convenience's sake. Every day, I can earn a little bit by harvesting my home instance instead of going out of my way to farm a map I may or may not want to farm that day, maybe for multiple days, to get an item I want later, or maybe I need Unbound/Volatile Magic for something? Farm up all the LWS3/4 nodes, consume them all for Magic, and I'll be that much closer to what I want instead of spending a day farming a specific map, maybe on multiple characters.

It's very much a convenience thing. Does it pay dividends? That's up to who you ask. Some people may only be able to play an hour or two a day and the nodes are a great investment, some people may be able to play 18 hours a day and can farm those maps without any need for those nodes at all. I'm personally not looking to make a profit off home instance nodes and I think anyone who -only- looks to profit from home instance nodes is a bit short-sighted.

[I love Dragon Response Missions]

I only have constructive feedback on Dragon Response Missions in that I feel they could have made them so much better by looking at the Steel and Fire strike mission with the Steel Warband.

It's definitely good content, I just feel like it's a bit too straightforward and lacking spice. But that said, if people enjoy them as they are, it's not my place to say they're wrong!

[[Suggestions]QoL (Quality of Life) Ideas [Merged]]

I don't know if it's been suggested yet, but there is currently a "Favorites" tab in the Trading Post. While it probably couldn't be its own TAB, I would very much like a "Favorites" category for crafting recipes that is anchored at the top of the crafting list! Thank you very much!